Fairytales
by YuugisGirl
Summary: I remember a time when I believed in fairytales. I used to think that one day my knight in shinning armor would come and sweep me off my feet. But that was then. Danceshipping. One-shot Contest fic


A/N: This is my Danceshipping (MaixAnzu) fic for Computerfreak101's YGO writing contest. This is loosely based off of a few scenes from the manga in Duelist Kingdom, but I took a few liberties here and there. I'm trying out a different kind of format with this story. The relationship between Mai and Anzu can be either romance or friendship, take it as you will. I hope you like it. Implied Peachshipping.

Disclaimer: If you are even questioning whether or not Yugioh belongs to me then you need your IQ checked.

Fairytales 

_I remember a time when I used to believe in fairytales_.

The room was ablaze with casino lights, the slot machines casting multi-colored beams across the walls and breathing life into the dull white paint. The chatter of dozens of voices slurred together with the rattle of falling coins, the whirring of machinery, and the constant slap of shuffling cards.

A group of half-drunken gamblers gathered around one of the countless blackjack tables. Their shaking fingers threw crumpled bills down upon the tabletop, which were quickly exchanged for stacks of various colored chips by the dealer's dexterous hands. Red-backed cards slid over one another in a form reminiscent of a fan as the dealer shuffled the deck, throwing each of the red-eyed gamblers a pair of cards.

_I used to believe that one day my knight in shinning armor would come and sweep me off my feet._

As the game commenced, bloodshot eyes soon nestled themselves within the folds of a bulging blouse, the inside of which could just be seen as he dealer leaned over to recollect the cards for the next round…

The beautiful woman doling out the cards did not fail to notice the roving gazes that trailed over her silky golden locks all the way down to her waist before settling somewhere in her chest. She did not fail to see the hungry expressions, the crooked leers.

The way the already clouded visions would gloss over completely as the watcher feasted upon her in some sick fantasy.

_I don't think way that anymore._

Mai Kujaku said nothing as she shuffled another deck of cards.

* * *

_I remember being innocent._

The mass of thronging duelists was what had drawn Mai to the spot in the beginning, as well as the rumor that floated to her ears about a duel between the Japanese champion and the mysterious newcomer who had defeated Seto Kaiba. But it was the girl who kept her rooted to the spot.

She stood next to the dueling arena, a lone female in a swarm of unwashed boys. The girl appeared to be a few years younger than Mai herself .She was tall and thin, wearing a perky little black sweater paired with a red mini shirt and black boots. Short cropped brown hair and blunt bangs framed her sculpted face nicely. She was like a single pearl among dirt clogs, surrounded as she was by greasy card game enthusiasts. But it wasn't her outfit or her beauty or even the fact that she was the only spectator in the vicinity of the same gender that drew Mai's attention.

It was her eyes.

_I used to have high hopes and believe in the good in the world._

They were like two glistening sapphires. In them, Mai could see hope and believe and…love… She was watching the duel with rapt attention, her voice crying out encouragement to the spiky haired opponent. The boy seemed to be struggling; Mai could tell by the way his fists tightened ever so slightly around the cards in his hand. A quick survey of the field showed Mai that the odds were inescapably stacked against him, and yet the girl continued to cheer him on as though he was leading by one thousand points.

The spirit in her voice, the fight in her eyes, the way she spoke so unwaveringly about the ardor of their friendship awoke some emotion to turn over itself in Mai's belly. And when the boy suddenly jerked himself back into the lead with a come from behind strategy, the girl's resulting cheers struck a nerve and forced her into action. She moved forward to stand next to the brunette and insulted her dueling friend openly.

The look upon the young girl's face quickly flushed into fury and she bit back harshly in kind. Mai could not help the smirk of satisfaction that graced her lips at evoking such a reaction. But as the brown haired beauty turned her attention back to the match, and that spark of hope, of light, of innocence returned to her eyes, Mai felt yet another emotion ping inside her chest.

_But that was before._

Jealousy.

* * *

_I remember the naivety of youth. _

They were fighting over tree fungus when she next saw them- the group that represented everything she was not and everything she had wanted to be. Anzu stood away from the scrabbling boys, shaking her brown head in exasperation. Mai smiled softly to herself, stepping out of the shadows that cloaked her form and offering up her duffle bag full of supplies as a peace treaty. As the boys dove for the food, Mai and Anzu's gazes locked. Skeptical blue met pensive violet before Anzu's head nodded ever so slightly in approval.

_Ignorance is bliss._

Mai felt the slightest of flutters ripple in her chest.

* * *

_I remember a time when I used to believe in fairytales._

They sat alone in the only tent that Mai owned, laying out blankets and preparing for bed. As Mai flatted out the ceases of her sleeping bag, her thoughts drifted towards her strange behavior that night. Why had she offered to help these…children when they were her opponents, when she wasn't even sure that she _liked_ them? She had always operated alone. She didn't believe in childish things like friendship or forming bonds with others and yet…

_I remember being innocent._

She was drawn out of her thoughts as Anzu asked how she had come to be a duelist. Never before had she ever divulged information about her past to another person. She didn't know what it was about Anzu that drew her to speech, but once again she found herself breaking the unspoken laws she had always held to.

It was a short summary, but, all the same, it left her companion silent and looking reflective. Mai smiled sadly to herself before turning bright eyes on Anzu and asking, rather slyly, about the obvious crush the brunette had for a certain spiky haired teen. Anzu instantly flushed several, rather adorable, shades of scarlet, fervently denying the claim. Mai laughed, but the sound wasn't the same triumphant chuckled she used when dueling. It was, for the first time in god knows how long, truly genuine. She told Anzu of the prearranged meeting she had set up for her and Yugi that night. The girl spluttered nonsensically as Mai giggled and practically forced her out of the tent.

_I used to believe that one day my knight in shinning armor would come and sweep me off my feet._

Mai felt a slight pang in her heart as she watched Anzu trail away, the poor girl practically quaking with nerves. But for once, she recognized the emotion. It wasn't jealousy or even amusement, but…loss.

_But that was then._

Somehow she knew, as she watched the young beauty trail away, that she had missed something crucial in her life, something that Anzu was definitely not missing out on. The dead weight of her heart seemed to lessen, however, when she thought of the joy that might have just caused by sending the two young lovebirds to meet.

She lay back down in the tent, her violet eyes gazing up at the plastic canopy above her head and realized why she had assisted the young group of friends who were practically strangers to her.

It was for that a young girl who still believed in fairytales.

* * *

A/N: I hope you understood the message. I only had like an hour to write it, so it's a little rushed...Please Review! ^^


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